Tag Archives: tv

London: This coming year more and more of us are likely to make dieting our New Years resolution. However for many of us, this will be a ritual we are all too familiar with. Having tried dieting the year before and been unsuccessful, the process of losing weight and then gaining it is something us women struggle with on a regular basis.

Losing weight and keeping the weight off can give you a better quality of life, not only will you look fabulous in that dress, but the health benefits are astounding, reducing the risk of life threatening diseases such as type-2 diabetes and heart disease, two of the leading causes of death worldwide1.

With all the weight loss programmes and diets that Britons are attempting this New Year, its important to know what food and exercise combinations can help you lose weight  consequently reducing visceral fat. Visceral fat which surrounds vital organs in the abdomen cant be seen or felt, but the metabolically active fat in unhealthy amounts can add to serious health problems.

Show date: Monday 4th January
Show time: 2:30pm

In this live WebTV show, David Haslam, chairman of the National Obesity Forum, and Terry Maguire, Pharmacist of Maguire Pharmacy, Belfast, explain what you can do to avoid the yo-yo dieting pattern and how to get rid of dangerous hidden fat. We also have Paula Keogh talking about her weight loss experiences with alli*. Submit your questions before hand or ask them live.

David Haslam, Terry Maguire and Paula Keogh join us live online at Live Web TV
on Monday 4th January at 2:30pm to discuss visceral fat and weight loss.

*alli is a weight loss aid for overweight adults with a BMI of 28 or over, designed to be used with a comprehensive support programme.

Rotterdam: TV violence triggers an increase in hunger, according to new research.

According to Dirk Smeesters, Associate Professor of Marketing at the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University, people who are thinking about their own deaths want to consume more.

In a paper published in the Journal of Consumer Research, The Sweet Escape: Effects of Mortality Salience on Consumption Quantities for High- and Low-Self-Esteem Consumers, Dirk Smeesters and co-author Naomi Mandel (Arizona State University) reveal that consumers, especially those with a faced with images of death during the news or their favorite crime-scene investigation shows.

Smeesters and Mandel conducted experiments in Europe and the United States on 746 subjects who wrote either about their own death or a visit to the dentist (the control group). The findings revealed that consumers with low self-esteem writing about their death ate more cookies and listed more items on a hypothetical shopping list compared to those who wrote about the dentist. Similar effects were obtained by subliminally presenting the word death to consumers and exposing them to death-related news.

Smeesters and Mandel explain this effect using a theory called escape from self-awareness. When people are reminded of their inevitable mortality, they may start to feel uncomfortable about what they have done with their lives and whether they have made a significant mark on the universe. This is a state called heightened self-awareness. One way to deal with such an uncomfortable state is to escape from it, by either overeating or overspending.

Follow-up research found that death-related news can not only increase consumers consumption behavior, but can also affect their preferences for domestic and foreign brands. More specifically, consumers who were exposed to death-related news (e.g. a news report about a fatal car crash) had more positive preferences for domestic brands, but more negative preferences for foreign brands compared to consumers not exposed to such news.

These effects were obtained because thinking about death made consumers more patriotic. These studies clearly demonstrated the potential negative effects of advertising foreign brands shortly after the broadcast of death-related programs on television.

About Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University

RSM is an internationally top-ranked business school renowned for its ground-breaking research in sustainable business practice and for the development of leaders in global business. Offering an array of bachelor, master, doctoral, MBA and executive education programmes, RSM is consistently ranked amongst the top 10 business schools in Europe. < a href="http://www.rsm.nl">www.rsm.nl

Oversized socks, comfy tracksuit bottoms and something good on the box  all thats needed now for the ultimate night in is a quick, easy and delicious recipe which will transform TV dinners once and for all and a glass of wine to finish off in style.

As the official wine of this years star studded BAFTA TV Awards, leading Australian wine Rosemount has teamed up with food writer and TV cook Jo Pratt to offer just this  three deliciously mouth watering recipes to tempt you back onto the couch for a much needed night in. So get ready to warm up with some cosy food, snuggle down and watch the awards from the comfort of your own home.

Acclaimed chef Jo Pratt admits that sometimes some of the best food can be the simplest: There is a great pressure these days for people to produce fussier and more complex dishes but often it is the easiest and most straight forward recipes that are still winners! Of course it is always fun to put your chefs hat on once in a while but when it comes to a relaxing night in the majority of us prefer fresh ingredients, minimum effort and maximum taste!

And if you are looking for a top tipple to complete the ultimate TV dinner night in package then Rosemounts James Craig-Wood is on board to ensure there is something to suit everyones taste.

OH SO SIMPLE CHICKEN, LEEK AND HAM PIES

This is for those times when you rush through the supermarket on your way home and get a whiff of roasting chickens from the rotisserie counter.
Perhaps you usually dont get one because you cant be bothered to do all the trimmings  roast potatoes, gravy and veggies  or because you feel like something more substantial than a hot chicken sandwich or salad. So why not make use of one to fill a puff pastry-topped pie that will take no time at all to put together.

Takes about 35 minutes to make

makes one large or four individual pies

 25g butter

 2 smallmedium leeks, thinly sliced

 1 teaspoon thyme leaves

 100ml sherry or white wine

 200ml double cream

 1 large ready-roasted chicken

 150200g piece of ham, cut into bite-sized chunks

 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

 100ml chicken stock

 sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

 1 egg yolk mixed with 1 tablespoon milk, to glaze

 375g ready-rolled puff pastry

Preheat the oven to 200ºC/fan 180ºC/gas 6.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan and gently cook the leek and thyme leaves until the leek has softened. Increase the heat, pour in the sherry and cream and bubble for a couple of minutes to thicken a little.

Take the chicken meat off the bone and tear into chunks or strips. Add to the pan with the ham, mustard and chicken stock and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook for a few minutes until the sauce has thickened slightly.

Spoon into one large or four individual pie dishes. Brush the rim of each dish with the egg wash, cut the pastry into four (or leave whole if you are doing one large pie) and sit on top. Press the edges down well to seal and trim off any excess pastry. Cut a small slit in the top to let any steam escape and brush with the egg wash.

Bake for 15 minutes until the tops are golden and the sauce begins to ooze out of the dishes. Serve straight away.

PS

If you cant get a ready-roasted chicken, then you can cook chopped breast or leg meat in the pan before adding the leek.

Recommended wine: Diamond Label Chardonnay – The Chardonnay is a classic match for chicken dishes, the crisp acidity and ripe fruitiness will complement the creamy sauce.

CORNER SHOP CURRY

Just about everyone has a corner shop within walking distance. Theyre great in an emergency because they stock all sorts of useful ingredients.
This curry is so lovely its hard to believe its made from such basic everyday ingredients. The vegetables I have suggested are just a guide, so if your corner shop doesnt have some of them, just change the selection to suit whatever you can find.

takes about 50 minutes to make (most of which is cooking time)

serves four

 2 tablespoons sunflower or vegetable oil

 1 onion, chopped

 2 cloves of garlic, crushed

 23 potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

 2 carrots, cut into chunks

 1 green or red pepper, deseeded and cut into chunks

 3 tablespoons mild, medium or hot curry powder

 400g tin of chopped tomatoes

 200ml vegetable stock

 juice of 1/2 lemon

 400g tin of chickpeas, drained

 4 tablespoons natural yoghurt or cream

 sea salt

Heat the oil in a saucepan and gently fry the onion until it has softened.
Add the garlic, potato, carrot, pepper and curry powder. Cook for about 5 minutes until the vegetables are just starting to soften and become golden.
Stir in the tomatoes, stock and lemon juice, bring to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes.

Stir in the chickpeas and continue to cook for a further 5 minutes for the chickpeas to heat through.

By now the vegetables should be tender and the sauce thick. Stir in the yoghurt or cream and season with salt. Serve with rice, naan bread or whatever you fancy.

PS

If your corner shop sells it, coconut milk or coconut cream can be used instead of the natural yoghurt or cream, while a small tin of drained pineapple chunks adds a delicious fruity flavour.

The curry also benefits from a few fresh herbs, so if you have any coriander or parsley, stir it into the curry at the end.

Recommended wine: Diamond Label Shiraz – The spiciness and intense dark fruit flavours of the Diamond Label Shiraz are a great match for curries

OVEN-BAKED SALMON AND PEA RISOTTO

Are you in the mood for a risotto, but quite frankly cant be bothered to stand and stir it for twenty minutes? Well, this is a sort of cheats risotto that could be perfect for you. It also doubles up as a storecupboard saviour because it uses mostly storecupboard ingredients, making it perfect for an easy-to-prepare, last-minute dinner emergency.

Heat the olive oil in an ovenproof dish or casserole and gently fry the onion until softened. Stir in the rice, stock and lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a gentle simmer. Cover with a lid and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.

By now the rice should be tender. The risotto might seem quite runny, but thats fine at this stage. Stir in the mushy peas and salmon and return to the oven for 5 minutes.

Take the risotto out of the oven and mix in the herbs and butter. Stir for about 2 minutes to thicken the risotto before serving.

PS

For an extra creamy finish, stir in a couple of spoonfuls of mascarpone or cream cheese with the butter

Recommended wine: Diamond Cellars Semillon Chardonnay – The citrus fruit characters which Semillon is known for go well with salmon and will bring out the lemon zest and the body and richness which the Chardonnay adds will balance the richness of the creamy risotto

So rustle up one of these delicious dishes, grab a glass of Rosemount wine and prepare to indulge yourself in front of the TV. Rosemount wine has not only seen the introduction of screw caps across the entire range but the brand has gone back to its distinctive style of fresh bright wines and superior wine quality with a focus on intense fruit flavours.

Rosemount wines are available at your local supermarket. The Diamond Cellars range start from £6.49 and the Diamond Label range £7.99. For more information on the range visit www.rosemountestate.co.uk or call 020 8843 8411.

London: The average child spends over 3½ hours a day watching TV but less than 3½ hours a week exercising according to research out today. The findings show that activities taken outside of school have declined by 41% in a single generation with virtual activities replacing real life activity for many kids. This issue isn’t helped by the fact that almost a quarter of the parents polled admitted to having written a ‘false sick note’ to allow their child to skip PE in school.

Dame Kelly Holmes Comments: “I’m deeply alarmed but not surprised at the news that today’s children are doing a lot less exercise than their parents did. There’s no doubt modern life is limiting the amount they do – whether it’s because of lifts to school or use of technology. Our kids need to learn the importance of exercise in leading fulfilling and healthy lives. They need to get up off the sofa.”

The national activity audit has been released to mark the launch of this year’s Sainsbury’s Active Kids initiative which is being led by double Olympic gold medallist Dame Kelly Holmes. Launched three years ago, the Sainsbury’s Active Kids voucher programme has already generated £50 million in investment in sporting equipment for UK schools.

One in 20 children do no exercise at all outside school, which rises to nearly one in 10 in girls. London children are the worst when it comes to skipping exercise with 17% claiming to be completely inactive outside school. Urban children are more likely to blame a lack of local resources for their sofa habit with kids from Birmingham, Manchester, and Newcastle stating they had “nowhere to go.”

Dame Kelly Holmes further comments: “Schools are doing a great job in promoting sports, but it is essential that children do activity after school and at home as well. What troubles me about these findings is that so many are spending too much time lying around rather than getting out and about learning new skills and having fun.”

Cystitis is a common infection which can be caused by bacteria from the nearby skin that can travel up the urethra and grow in your bladder, causing infection and inflammation. For many, living with cystitis can be uncomfortable, embarrassing and at times, extremely painful.

It is a common condition where the lining of the bladder becomes inflamed and makes going to the loo quite painful. Common symptoms include a stinging or burning feeling when passing urine, an urgent and frequent need to go to the loo, and passing small amounts of urine often.

Cystitis usually occurs as the result of an infection and other possible symptoms include blood in the urine, backache, lower abdominal aches and generally feeling unwell. It can ruin sleep and make working uncomfortable.

Although men can suffer with cystitis, it is adult women who are most commonly affected. For some women, cystitis is a rare event, for others it can happen four or five times a year. It affects women of all ages, being more common during pregnancy, post menopause and in those who are sexually active.

There are a number of ways of relieving the pain of cystitis. Drinking several glasses of water a day can help and cranberry juice can also help relieve symptoms. Although antibiotics have traditionally been prescribed to treat the condition, there are now natural products such as D-Mannose available on the market which may be just as effective with none of the side effects.

To find out how these products work and how they can help you, email your question to Dr Wright (pictured right) and Dr Harper and join us live online at www.webchats.tv on Tuesday 30th October at 14:30 – GMT